{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"Articles","query":"","search_query":"(glocations.contains:\"Slovakia\" OR glocations.contains:\"\\(Slovakia\\)\") AND -type_of_material:\"Editorial\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"Obituary\" AND -type_of_material:\"paid death notice\" AND -headline:\"paid notice\" AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Summary\" AND -type_of_material:\"Schedule\" AND -type_of_material:\"Letter\" AND -news_desk:\"Travel\" AND -news_desk:\"Escapes\" AND -news_desk:\"Dining\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashion\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashions\" AND -news_desk:\"Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Styles\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\/Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Living\" AND -news_desk:\"Beauty\" AND -news_desk:\"Design\" AND -news_desk:\"Theater\" AND -subject:\"Theater\" AND -news_desk:\"Movies\" AND -subject:\"Motion Pictures\" AND -subject:\"Movies\" AND -news_desk:\"Great Homes and Destinations\"","num_search_articles":"15","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"SLOVAKIA","more_on_header":"MORE ON SLOVAKIA AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}

A plan to skirt Russia’s state energy behemoth, Gazprom, by reverse-flowing natural gas into Ukraine has been hindered by reluctance from neighboring Slovakia, seemingly due to pressure from the Russian company.

On Friday, Standard & Poor’s cut the ratings on nine of the 17 European countries that use the euro currency. France and Austria lost their coveted AAA ratings, which were lowered one notch to AA+, and Italy and Spain had their ratings cut by two notches. Germany, Finland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands all retained their AAA status, while the ratings of Portugal and Cyprus were cut to junk.